Yoga & Cultural Appropriation
I am FAR from an expert on Yoga and cultural appropriation, but it is something I think about on a regular basis and a topic on which I continue to seek education. (Cultural appropriation per wikipedia: adoption of elements of one culture by another culture, especially problematic when a dominant culture appropriates from a disadvantaged or minority culture.) My current understanding is along the lines of picking and choosing elements from a culture that you don’t identify with and disregarding other elements. Like using Buddhas (but you don’t identify as Buddhist,) as decoration or “dressing up” as another culture (in costume or just because you think you look “cool” in their clothes.) As a white woman attempting to make my living by sharing practices and philosophies that I didn’t grow up with, it is imperative to me that I show honor, respect, and gratitude for the culture from which Yoga originated as well as continually educate myself on how I can best share these practices. It is also important to me that I am committed to the practice of yoga (which is SO MUCH more than the poses!) This is a learning and growth process for me, and my beliefs now will certainly evolve as I learn more and as I seek out authentic representatives of yoga.
One way you may experience me trying to be aware of and avoid cultural appropriation is around namaste. If you’ve taken class with me in the past few years, you may have noticed that I don’t normally end class with “namaste”. I’ve heard different stories from different people, (Eastern and Western,) on how namaste is used in India. The consistent message I have received is that it is NOT something used to end a yoga session. In my continued attempts to be true to Yoga, I choose to no longer close class with namaste, and I know that is difficult or confusing to some students. Read more about namaste on this excellent post from The Bhakti Yoga Movement Center. (Because I’m a people-pleaser, if you say namaste to me, I might say it back because I don’t want to shame you. But that in itself is problematic…why am I valuing your feelings over the feelings of a South Asian individual who could be offended by my misuse of namaste?)
I’ll add a little bit about my Yoga lineage and education here. My yoga teacher training was completed at The Yoga Shala in Portland, Oregon. Many of the teachers in that program were a part of the Viniyoga lineage and had been direct students of Mr. T.K.V. Desikachar, the son of the famous yogi, Sri T. Krishnamacharya. My focus has always been a therapeutic approach to yoga that focuses on one-on-one yoga therapy sessions. The great majority of my teachers have been white, or white-passing. One of the ways I am trying to continue to improve my connection with Yoga is by seeking out the voices of more teachers for whom Yoga has been a life-long practice and to continually expand my knowledge of Yoga beyond the physical practice (poses).
For more, and much BETTER, information on Yoga and cultural appropriation, please check out the Yoga is Dead podcast and Susanna Barkataki’s website.